Exemplary embodiments relate generally to digital imaging, and more particularly, to methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer program products for real-time high dynamic range imaging.
Imaging capturing devices, such as digital cameras, generally rely upon commercial or open-source software for producing high dynamic range (HDR) images. HDR refers to a process for adjusting luminance and chrominance of an image to approximate how the image is perceived by the human eye. The resultant images of limited dynamic range are additively combined into a single instance that yields a single high contrast image computationally created with detail in highlight and shadow areas. This image can be tailored to better represent the scene as originally seen by the eye, even using limited, current output devices. HDR technology involves capturing multiple consecutive instances (e.g., brackets) of an image, whereby each instance is exposed for varying degrees of light and for varying depths of field. Selected portions of each instance are combined to form a single image. These portions may be selected by processing the information in each of the image files and determining areas of the images in which the exposure level and focus depth approximate what would be perceived by the human eye. Not surprisingly, the process of HDR imaging requires a great deal of memory and processing power due, in part, to the number of brackets or exposures required for a single image, rendering this technology unsuitable for use on small, portable devices. Thus, this type of software is utilized on larger computer devices (e.g., general desktop computers) having greater capacity in terms of storage.
Oftentimes, these HDR images are electronically shared among friends and family over a network, using personal communications channels or commercial websites, such as Snapfish® and Flickr®. In this instance, a user is required to upload the images to a personal computer and process the images into HDR images using the selected software before transmitting the images to a desired destination.
In addition, portable digital imaging devices do not provide expanded HDR technology, such as providing three-dimensional HDR images, 3D HDR video, and collaborative creation of 3D HDR images and video among multiple image capturing devices.
What is needed, therefore, is a way to provide enhanced HDR services to portable image capturing devices.